Chapter 2

“You wanted to go somewhere before we head back?” Mia asked.

They followed an empty main road toward Ariko City. Had it been prior to the war, Scorpion's size would have made driving around the narrow roads difficult, but the streets remained empty after that, allowing the machine to use both sides.

“Where?” Hakade asked.

They had people waiting for their return, along with a reward for their work. Not just that, being outside the walls was dangerous, even for those with their own tanks like Hakade. There existed a non-zero chance that monsters roamed these areas. Some monsters had strong magical shields that made them resistant to physical attacks. It required numerous shells to take down one of these monsters, so Hakade would rather not run into one of them.

He also didn’t want to risk running into a large MARA group. MARA was the name of the group they attacked earlier, a group of self-sufficient AI that ran rampant after the war. They had lost their master, but not their ability to construct themselves. Their factories continued running somewhere in the mountains, producing a limited, albeit constant production of new military units.

“Just look around, you know? It’s not like we can go on a field trip here.”

“Fine.”

“I want to go there.”

The place she pointed at wasn’t a castle or theme park or whatever thing that used to be a tourist attraction. No, instead, she pointed toward an old shop. Hakade squinted his eyes. He couldn’t see anything particular about that shop, then remembered he could just zoom it. He tapped the spot twice, and the screen responded by zooming in on the image. He remembered hearing about helmet devices that could read thoughts, allowing a lack of physical input, but he didn’t have such a helmet.

“Do you remember that?” Mia asked. “We used to visit game shops like that all the time.”

“... We’re no longer that age, Mia.”

“Come on, Captain.”

“Sigh… fine, but be quick, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Hakade brought Scorpion and parked it in front of the store. He checked the surroundings, then opened up a radar screen to check if any suspected monsters or MARA were nearby. After making sure he couldn’t see any, he lowered Scorpion and got out of his seat. He put down his helmet on the chair, then did some light stretches.

“Don’t forget this,” Mia threw him his 9mm handgun.

Hakade caught it and put it in the holster hanging on his belt.

“I’m not you,” Hakade said.

He made sure Mia picked up her 5.56mm assault rifle. She had a habit of forgetting it, despite the gun being enormous.

“Let’s go, quick.” Mia practically pulled him out of the rear ramp.

They headed inside. One thing they knew for sure, the shop had seen better days. Dust filled the room, and whatever wasn’t bolted to the wall had been taken. Even some of the stuff that should have been bolted was missing, as proven by the holes.

“Ah, look,” Mia pointed toward a piece of paper hanging on the rear.

It read, ‘Feel free to take whatever you want. I no longer need it.’

“Is that why everything’s gone?” Hakade murmured.

“Maybe.”

They looked around. Most of the things left behind were either rusty or broken. Nothing of value had been left.

As Mia looked around, Hakade felt his smartphone vibrating in his pocket. The small device had lost a lot of functionality following the war, but an organization managed to set up a system that allowed messages and phone calls to come through. Last he heard, they planned on expanding the network for more services.

“Where are you two?”

A voice appeared from his speaker. It was Laurel’s voice. She sounded a bit concerned, albeit only slightly.

“Mia had a spot she wanted to visit.”

“Where?”

“An old games store.”

For a moment, the call went silent.

“I see…” came her voice after a long pause. “Make sure you come back quickly. Someone’s waiting for you.”

“Who?”

“She called herself… Ann.”

“She has the same nickname as you, huh?”

“That part isn’t important. Just come back quickly.”

“Wait, but why-”

The call was cut off. Hakade didn’t have the chance to ask why. He didn’t remember scheduling an appointment, nor did he know anyone nicknamed Ann other than Laurel Anamia.

“Who was that?” Mia returned after looking around.

In her hands was a picture. An old promotional poster for a video game. It had its release date after the war, but the game ended up never being released.

“You’re taking that?”

“I mean, the owner said that it’s fine?”

“We don’t even know if that note was written by the owner.”

But, considering what this place had become, Hakade doubted the owner would return. Even if they returned, they wouldn't expect their place to be untouched. They would probably be grateful that the building still existed in the first place.

“You don’t know how long you’re alive, right?”

“Huh?” Hakade raised an eyebrow.

“I mean… I want it as a memento… or something…” she chuckled. “Proof that I existed, I guess?”

“When people say that, they tend to create something, not just take something.”

“Come on, the details don’t matter.”

“Fine.” Hakade relented.

“Yipee! Thanks, Captain!”

With that out of the way, the two returned to Scorpion. Hakade started up his tank and continued their journey back toward their train. He had parked his train at a small local passenger station outside the walls, as being inside the walls meant dealing with heavy traffic.

Many of the stations outside the walls had remained unused ever since the end of the war, allowing freedom to park however long he wanted. He needed to return to the city to receive his reward, though.

The station itself was built above elevated viaducts. While Scorpion had great all-terrain capabilities, it couldn’t climb something that steep, and the vehicle wouldn't fit in the walkways people used.

Hakade pulled out his phone and dialed a number, the same number that had contacted him earlier.

“We're here.”

“Alright, wait.”

A crane extended above them. It had claws and a magnet attached. The crane hooked him up and pulled Scorpion upward onto the tracks. Hakade still remembers how scary it was when he loaded Scorpion for the first time, but he's gotten used to it now.

The crane then lowered Scorpion onto a flat car before letting go. Hakade shut down Scorpion. Scorpion’s legs, front claws, and cannon folded close together, reducing its size. The two got off through the rear ramp. A girl wearing a purple mage robe stood next to the car. She had a long staff as tall as herself right next to her. She hid her black hair beneath her hood, her dark red eyes observing the two who exited Scorpion.

“Hey Ana. Where’s the person who wanted to see me?”

Ana glanced toward the train car behind them. The large crane had been folded up, and from that train, another girl appeared. She had dark red eyes and her black hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a lab coat coupled with white pants and a set of glasses. She didn’t need the glasses, but she thought they looked cool.

“Laurel, where is she again?” Ana asked.

“Took you a while,” Laurel said.

“Just a quick little trip, that’s all!” Mia said from behind Hakade.

“Besides, you haven’t told me why this person wanted to see me.”

“I thought she was weird. I’m not sure if I even want to tell you about it.”

“Weird?” Hakade hadn’t received any other information, other than her name.

While she had the same name as Laurel Anamia’s childhood nickname, he didn’t consider that weird. That name was common, after all. Maybe not in this country, but like Laurel Anamia, she or her family might be from a different country.

“She wears this full-body jacket or robe thingy.”

Hakade glanced at Ana. Ana tilted her head.

“Is it weird…?”

Laurel shook her head. “No, it’s not just that. The weirdest thing is that she has this full-face mask. She doesn’t take it off when she speaks. We offered her a drink, and the part in front of the mouth opened up, allowing her to drink. I mean, if she doesn’t want people to see her face, just turn around?”

Hakade had seen several people wearing full-face masks before. Some weird things happened after the war. People often hid things they didn't want others to see. Everyone had their own secrets, so he never asked about them.

“Where is she now?”

Laurel pointed toward the station’s platform. He headed there, the three girls following behind him. The mysterious figure stood in front of the striking red and gold diesel locomotive, the heart of the train. She noticed him approaching and turned his way. Laurel’s description of her was spot on.

“You have arrived.”